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Article 4

      (25 ILCS 130/Art. 4 heading)ARTICLE 4.

(25 ILCS 130/4‑1) (from Ch. 63, par. 1004‑1)     Sec. 4‑1. For purposes of the Successor Agency Act and Section 9b of the State Finance Act, the Legislative Research Unit is the successor to the Illinois Commission on Intergovernmental Cooperation. The Legislative Research Unit succeeds to and assumes all powers, duties, rights, responsibilities, personnel, assets, liabilities, and indebtedness of the Illinois Commission on Intergovernmental Cooperation. Any reference in any law, rule, form, or other document to the Illinois Commission on Intergovernmental Cooperation is deemed to be a reference to the Legislative Research Unit. (Source: P.A. 93‑632, eff. 2‑1‑04.)

(25 ILCS 130/4‑2) (from Ch. 63, par. 1004‑2)     Sec. 4‑2. Intergovernmental functions. It shall be the function of the Legislative Research Unit:         (1) To carry forward the participation of this State

as a member of the Council of State Governments.

(2) To encourage and assist the legislative,

executive, administrative and judicial officials and employees of this State to develop and maintain friendly contact by correspondence, by conference, and otherwise, with officials and employees of the other States, of the Federal Government, and of local units of government.

(3) To endeavor to advance cooperation between this

State and other units of government whenever it seems advisable to do so by formulating proposals for, and by facilitating:

(a) The adoption of compacts.             (b) The enactment of uniform or reciprocal

statutes.

(c) The adoption of uniform or reciprocal

administrative rules and regulations.

(d) The informal cooperation of governmental

offices with one another.

(e) The personal cooperation of governmental

officials and employees with one another individually.

(f) The interchange and clearance of research and

information.

(g) Any other suitable process, and             (h) To do all such acts as will enable this State

to do its part in forming a more perfect union among the various governments in the United States and in developing the Council of State Governments for that purpose.

(Source: P.A. 93‑632, eff. 2‑1‑04.)

(25 ILCS 130/4‑2.1)     Sec. 4‑2.1. Federal program functions. The Legislative Research Unit is established as the information center for the General Assembly in the field of federal‑state relations and as State Central Information Reception Agency for the purpose of receiving information from federal agencies under the United States Office of Management and Budget circular A‑98 and the United States Department of the Treasury Circular TC‑1082 or any successor circulars promulgated under authority of the United States Inter‑governmental Cooperation Act of 1968. Its powers and duties in this capacity include, but are not limited to:         (a) Compiling and maintaining current information on

available and pending federal aid programs for the use of the General Assembly and legislative agencies;

(b) Analyzing the relationship of federal aid

programs with state and locally financed programs, and assessing the impact of federal aid programs on the State generally;

(c) Reporting annually to the General Assembly on the

adequacy of programs financed by federal aid in the State, the types and nature of federal aid programs in which State agencies or local governments did not participate, and to make recommendations on such matters;

(d) Cooperating with the Governor's Office of

Management and Budget and with any State of Illinois offices located in Washington, D.C., in obtaining information concerning federal grant‑in‑aid legislation and proposals having an impact on the State of Illinois;

(e) Cooperating with the Governor's Office of

Management and Budget in developing forms and identifying number systems for the documentation of applications, awards, receipts and expenditures of federal funds by State agencies;

(f) Receiving from every State agency, other than

State colleges and universities, agencies of legislative and judicial branches of State government, and elected State executive officers not including the Governor, all applications for federal grants, contracts and agreements and notification of any awards of federal funds and any and all changes in the programs, in awards, in program duration, in schedule of fund receipts, and in estimated costs to the State of maintaining the program if and when federal assistance is terminated, or in direct and indirect costs, of any grant under which they are or expect to be receiving federal funds;

(g) Forwarding to the Governor's Office of Management

and Budget all documents received under paragraph (f) after assigning an appropriate, State application identifier number to all applications; and

(h) Reporting such information as is received under

subparagraph (f) to the President and Minority Leader of the Senate and the Speaker and Minority Leader of the House of Representatives and their respective appropriation staffs and to any member of the General Assembly on a monthly basis at the request of the member.

The State colleges and universities, the agencies of the legislative and judicial branches of State government, and the elected State executive officers, not including the Governor, shall submit to the Legislative Research Unit, in a manner prescribed by the Legislative Research Unit, summaries of applications for federal funds filed and grants of federal funds awarded. (Source: P.A. 93‑632, eff. 2‑1‑04.)

(25 ILCS 130/4‑3) (from Ch. 63, par. 1004‑3)     Sec. 4‑3. The Legislative Research Unit shall establish such committees as it deems advisable, in order that they may confer and formulate proposals concerning effective means to secure intergovernmental harmony, and may perform other functions for the Unit in obedience to its decision. Subject to the approval of the Unit, the member or members of each such committee shall be appointed by the co‑chairmen of the Unit. State officials or employees who are not members of the Unit may be appointed as members of any such committee, but private citizens holding no governmental position in this State shall not be eligible. The Unit may provide such other rules as it considers appropriate concerning the membership and the functioning of any such committee. The Unit may provide for advisory boards for itself and for its various committees, and may authorize private citizens to serve on such boards. (Source: P.A. 93‑632, eff. 2‑1‑04.)

(25 ILCS 130/4‑4) (from Ch. 63, par. 1004‑4)     Sec. 4‑4. The General Assembly finds that the most efficient and productive use of federal block grant funds can be achieved through the coordinated efforts of the Legislature, the Executive, State and local agencies and private citizens. Such coordination is possible through the creation of an Advisory Committee on Block Grants empowered to review, analyze and make recommendations through the Legislative Research Unit to the General Assembly and the Governor on the use of federally funded block grants.     The Legislative Research Unit shall establish an Advisory Committee on Block Grants. The primary purpose of the Advisory Committee shall be the oversight of the distribution and use of federal block grant funds.     The Advisory Committee shall consist of 4 public members appointed by the Joint Committee on Legislative Support Services and the members of the Legislative Research Unit. A chairperson shall be chosen by the members of the Advisory Committee. (Source: P.A. 93‑632, eff. 2‑1‑04.)

(25 ILCS 130/4‑5) (from Ch. 63, par. 1004‑5)     Sec. 4‑5. The Advisory Committee on Block Grants shall have the following powers and duties.     (1) To request for review and comment all federally required block grant reports and annual plans to ensure quality and consistency in State reporting and planning. Each annual block grant plan submitted for review and comment shall contain the names and affiliations of members of each State agency block grant advisory Committee and a statement of the written charge for that Committee. The annual block grant plan shall contain the significant issues that were debated at State agency block grant advisory Committee meetings and the positions taken on the issues.     Each plan shall also include information on the time and place that State agency hearings were held to review the plan.     Each State agency administering federal block grants shall make available to the Advisory Committee proposed annual block grant plans by March 15 of each year.     Each proposed annual plan shall contain the date, time and place of public hearings planned by the State agency and shall include the method of notifying the public of such hearings.     (2) To conduct public hearings on the intended use of the block grant funds by the various State agencies to ensure that the use is consistent with established State policy.     (3) To determine, through public hearings, statewide priorities for the use of individual block grant funds as well as block grant funds in total.     (4) To recommend to the General Assembly and the Governor, after appropriate hearings and on or before May 1 each year, State funding levels for programs within each of the federal block grants. In the event that funding levels for the overall block grant programs have not been made available by the federal government for the forthcoming fiscal year, the Advisory Committee on Block Grants shall provide percentage allocations for the various programs the committee has included within the program priorities for the individual block grants in lieu of recommended dollar allocations. The recommendations shall ensure that the maximum amount of funds estimated to be available to the State is set aside for program purposes and a minimum amount is set aside for administrative purposes.     (5) Following the initial submission of its recommendations to the General Assembly and Governor on May 1, to report to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees on a quarterly basis, and more frequently as they may request, changes in federal block grant program authorizations and funding levels which may require the General Assembly to adjust current year State appropriations.     (6) To monitor through public hearings the use of block grant funds to ensure compliance with the purposes included in State plans and recommended by the Governor in the State budget and approved by the General Assembly.     (7) To monitor future federal block grant initiatives in order to assess their impact on the delivery of State and local services and to recommend appropriate State action to the Governor and the General Assembly.     (8) To review and comment on all proposals for transfer of funds between or among the block grants as may be allowed by federal law. State agencies administering federal block grants shall give the Advisory Committee on Block Grants reasonable notice of any proposed transfer of funds between or among block grants and the reasons for the proposed transfers. (Source: P.A. 83‑1528.)

(25 ILCS 130/4‑6) (from Ch. 63, par. 1004‑6)     Sec. 4‑6. It is the intention of the Illinois General Assembly that all hearings conducted pursuant to subsections (2), (3) and (4) of Section 4‑5 shall meet the formal legislative hearing requirements which are mandated by federal law for any individual block grant program. However, this provision shall not preclude or preempt the Illinois General Assembly or any of its Committees from conducting hearings on the intended use and distribution of these or any other block grant funds. (Source: P.A. 83‑1257.)

(25 ILCS 130/4‑7) (from Ch. 63, par. 1004‑7)     Sec. 4‑7. The Legislative Research Unit shall report to the Governor and to the Legislature within 15 days after the convening of each General Assembly, and at such other time as it deems appropriate. The members of all committees which it establishes shall serve without compensation for such service, but they shall be paid their necessary expenses in carrying out their obligations under this Act. The Unit may by contributions to the Council of State Governments, participate with other states in maintaining the said Council's district and central secretariats, and its other governmental services.     The requirement for reporting to the General Assembly shall be satisfied by filing copies of the report with the Speaker, the Minority Leader and the Clerk of the House of Representatives and the President, the Minority Leader and the Secretary of the Senate, and filing such additional copies with the State Government Report Distribution Center for the General Assembly as is required under paragraph (t) of Section 7 of the State Library Act. (Source: P.A. 93‑632, eff. 2‑1‑04.)

(25 ILCS 130/4‑8) (from Ch. 63, par. 1004‑8)     Sec. 4‑8. The Council of State Governments is hereby declared to be a joint governmental agency of this State and of the other states which cooperate through it. (Source: P.A. 83‑1257.)

(25 ILCS 130/4‑9) (from Ch. 63, par. 1004‑9)     Sec. 4‑9. Intergovernmental Cooperation Conference Fund.     (a) There is hereby created the Intergovernmental Cooperation Conference Fund, hereinafter called the "Fund". The Fund shall be outside the State treasury, but the State Treasurer shall act as ex‑officio custodian of the Fund.     (b) The Legislative Research Unit may charge and collect fees from participants at conferences held in connection with the Unit's exercise of its powers and duties. The fees shall be charged in an amount calculated to cover the cost of the conferences and shall be deposited in the Fund.     (c) Monies in the Fund shall be used to pay the costs of the conferences. As soon as may be practicable after the close of business on June 30 of each year, the Unit shall notify the Comptroller of the amount remaining in the Fund which is not necessary to pay the expenses of conferences held during the expiring fiscal year. Such amount shall be transferred by the Comptroller and the Treasurer from the Fund to the General Revenue Fund. If, during any fiscal year, the monies in the Fund are insufficient to pay the costs of conferences held during that fiscal year, the difference shall be paid from other monies which may be available to the Commission. (Source: P.A. 93‑632, eff. 2‑1‑04.)